The Day that Changed Everything
by Bartimus Crotchety
Summary: When Albus Potter was six years old he was the victim of an unintentionally viscous prank. What happened next changed everything. Shades of what has been and what's to come, there is a new Shadow over the Wizard World, or is it just a very old one reborn?


**Story Notes: **After all the kind words when I decided to let everyone know that I was still breathing the air with my note, I got to thinking about when I was at my most prolific in the Potterverse. When I first started Fanfiction I came from a website (I have often referred to as the **Site-that-must-not-be-named!**) that site to "maintain quality" caused the authors to be subject to a series of mods who changed every time you blinked and whom had different standards than the one before. I even had comments in my author notes that were deemed "inappropriate" because they had nothing to do with the story or it's progress. You now know them as my famous **Thoughts of the Day**. So the open and accepting atmosphere here was a welcome change, I was able to stretch my legs and update every week un-moderated. There are some glaring grammar mistakes I wish I could go back and fix but it is what it is.

However, there was a phenomena that I did not anticipate, people read my stories and...actually liked them to the extent that it changed their minds about the next generation of characters. I have perused and found a lot more Hufflepuff stories than when I started, that makes me smile. There is a pressure that I did not anticipate, which comes with success of this nature...based on something for which I receive no compensation and can never be,so I work this day job which has been exhausting and I write this stuff to make me sane, but then suddenly, It felt like work...(**insert death knell here!**) I would write a magnum opus in other universes, like M*A*S*H and Sherlock Holmes, and they would be brilliant and considered by those people to be seminal works of fanfiction..then suddenly with success in those universe there was pressure there that wasn't there before either. My cigar chomping muse doesn't like pressure so he gets distracted, its funny but the very success that keeps my work enjoyable also causes me to feel overwhelming guilt sometimes.

In short, I have a talent which I wish I could use to support myself, I have original universes in my head that no one has ever seen, and yet this is where I have my outlet, and in Albus I have found a place to make a mark. I know JK will eventually write post scripts that will frag everything but until then it's all wide open.

In short I decided to show a little more of my hand, and I wanted to leave a framework for the later work showing that I am committing to this, till death do me part from you.

I am going to go without a beta for the time being, I know there will be complaints but I worked best and things flowed best without that other voice and waiting for them to get back to me, so I am going back to writing without a net, if you must point out things for me to repair please do I welcome the input and I will try to get Albus back on track because he is a great little bloke and he deserves to have his tale told. There will be moments that I have already plotted that make me smile and some others that almost move me to tears but I am going to try to start getting back on this horse starting now.

I realized something with the flood of wonderful supportive notes: I wrote this stuff for you guys. You are relying on me to give you carriage rides in this world because I am the only person that knows the way. That is not a burden it is a privilege. I hope this story gives you some enjoyment it is based on a scene that you first read in **The Hole in the Orchard** in chapter 13 of Albus and the BBS. I hope it gives you a better scope of things to come.

I hope it also makes you worry...because I know it does me LOL!

**Bart**

* * *

**Albus Potter and the Day That Changed Everything...**

Two little boys huddled in the broom shed.

"Are you sure this'll work?" the larger caramel skinned conspirator asked his mop-topped dark haired companion.

James swiped the hair back from his face as he applied the patch to the underside of the broom. "It's Albus, Fred, this spell works off of your personal magic, how powerful could he possibly be?"

Fred nodded. "You're probably right," but his face betrayed the dubious thoughts he was having.

"All it's going to do is stick him in place and shake him up a bit, it wont even make it off the ground more than a meter or two," James insisted.

With another considered swipe he placed the _Whirly Gig!_ patch just up from the _Stick'em to It!_ patch he got from Tri-W just that morning.

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Fred murmured.

James gave him an impatient glare. "If winding Albus up bothers you so much then why did you put that _Gravity Defying Roof Walker _paste on his trainers last Halloween?"

The image of Albus dressed as a Dementor frantically running in circles on the ceiling of the great room in number 12 Grimmauld dropping his treats everywhere while James and Fred rolled around on the floor laughing crossed both their minds.

They both exchanged a glance then broke out in sniggers.

"Alright, if we're going to do this, lets do it right," Fred acquiesced.

**~\o0o/~**

They walked toward the Burrow and the milling adults with confident strides, they both had brooms, and Fred was carrying an extra.

It was yet another Weasley family get-together, most families only saw their extended family on holidays, but the Weasley's always found any reason for a holiday.

This weekend they were celebrating Audrey Weasley's appointment to senior level Healer at St. Mungos, a position normally reserved for those much older.

Everyone was there but little Rose who had come down with a case of Dragon Pox, and Aunt Hermione who had stayed home with her and Hugo. One of the reasons that James and Fred had planned something was because Rose was not going to be there to watch her cousin's back, too delicious an opportunity to pass up.

They saw their favourite target reading on a lower branch of the mighty oak that stood on the edge of the property. Away from the other cousins as usual, he was a solitary little boy who only seemed to be comfortable around Rose. Ironic considering he was the most sought after and photographed of the famous Potter children in the rest of the wizard world.

"Hey Albus," Fred called up, "you wanna go on a broom ride with us, yeah?"

James did his best to look innocent, but he felt a smile tug at the corner of his lips, he fought to keep a straight face.

The small boy glared down at them with his green eyes bright with suspicion. "No way!" he declared.

Fred shrugged. "Suit yourself, we'll go see if Roxy is game, we thought of you first since you've just learned and we wanted to show you some tips."

James silently rooted for his little brother to believe the ruse; he had to admit that Fred could be very convincing. His cousin was all charm when the time came for it.

"As long as we don't go too high," Albus responded as he began to climb down, "Mum won't like that."

Fred and James exchanged an evil glance but their faces were back to passivity by the time that Albus turned back around.

Fred held out the extra broom to Albus, in silent agreement that the little boy would never take anything from his big brother at this point.

They mounted their brooms and aimed for the open field and the orchard rows beyond, Albus followed suit a little awkwardly, because he had just started lessons from his dad two weeks before.

"Go!" Fred called and he and James kicked off.

Albus threw caution to the wind and started after them, that was when things went spectacularly wrong.

They both were buffeted to the side as Albus blasted past screaming in terror.

He was moving so fast that he was soon a tiny speck over the orchard before they could recover, the broom was lurching and spinning crazily but the little boy was stuck on crying out for help.

They exchanged a look.

"You are in so much trouble!" James blurted with wide eyes.

"Me?" Fred bellowed.

"You're older, you should know better!" James yelled.

"It doesn't matter!" Fred shouted, "Albus is in trouble!"

James was shaken out of his revelry by the realization. "He could get killed!"

"Ummm yeah!" Fred called exasperated.

They both kicked the brooms over to find an adult.

As soon as they got the words out breathlessly Charlie bodily lifted James off of his broom nearly tossing him to the side in his haste and anger kicking off to search for Albus while the stunned others were just getting organized.

He was a good tracker from his experience finding nestlings on the preserve.

Before long, he found his broken nephew and more than he bargained for…

**~\o0o/~**

They all sat together in the waiting room of St. Mungos, Albus had been in the Healing Room for nearly two hours at that point.

"We didn't mean…" James began; a glower from his Mum silenced him. He was also getting a death stare from his still furious Uncle Charlie seated across the waiting room, the man still had Albus's blood on his tunic, refusing to _Scourgify_ it off for some reason, he clearly had some dastardly ideas about what punishment needed to be dispensed after this tragedy.

James accepted their anger with a guilty wince and silent tears, he picked on his brother all the time but that didn't mean he wanted to hurt him.

Lily was curled up in her Dad's lap with her stuffed toy Thestral, Tock, under her arm sound asleep sucking her thumb which she only did when she was upset. Her dad was pale and distractedly rubbing circles on her back as much to soothe himself as his daughter.

Uncle Percy was pacing just off the nurses station, his wife, Audrey was the chief Healer on this operation, her first and most vitally important healing and he wanted to be there to support her, but his pale visage and snaps of the lid on his pocket dial accompanied by murmurs at the length of the healing session showed his nerves were not just for Audrey's sake.

He and Ron were exchanging sides of the room in their paces, the taller Ron holding a communication compact to send Hermione and the others word as soon as he had news.

The rest of the Aunts and Uncles and their children were at the Burrow waiting for the verdict, they did not want to overwhelm the staff at the hospital with their sheer numbers.

The exception being young Fred, who had been sent home by Aunt Angel to await his punishment alone in silence, it was not going to go easy for him, but he accepted it without complaint knowing his culpability.

Grampa and Gram Weasley were huddled together on the other side of Ginny and James, old hats at events such as this they projected a calm that permeated the room.

"Boys will be boys," Gram stated at one point, "we weren't sure that Ron would ever reach Hogwarts age the twins played so many pranks on him! He wound up at St. Mungos more than once."

She was busy knitting a jumper, bright green with a white letter A, Albus's traditional colours.

Suddenly the doors opened and Audrey came trudging wearily out. They all stood to their feet, Harry holding a still sleeping Lily.

"He broke almost every bone in his body, but there were no internal injuries that couldn't be quickly mended, he's suspended in charms and he'll have to drink Skele-Grow for the next week, but we believe he'll be fine, he's a resilient little boy," she finished with a relieved smile.

Percy slipped an arm around her waist to give her support while the rest of the family exchanged hugs.

Charlie held back, strangely silent until they were all done, then said, "There's something you need to see, Harry, you and Ginny. It's about Albus. You need to see where he landed."

Audrey read his worried expression. "Go…Albus won't be awake for a while."

Percy nodded. "I'll sit with him, this looks important, you'll know the moment he wakes."

Audrey placed a hand on James's shoulder and offered to take Lily, her intent clear. "We'll inform everyone, I'll go to Grimmauld, and put this little girl and her brother to bed. Kreacher can help me."

Grampa and Gram Weasley stepped forward. "If this concerns our grandson, we want to see."

Ron stepped up as well, his jaw clenched with determination. Albus and Rose had always been inseparable, as such he felt as much investment at this point as Albus's father, Harry.

They waited until Audrey flooed out with a sleeping Lily and a withdrawn sniffling contrite James, having been warned to head straight to bed without dinner, Ginny told him she would ask Kreacher later if he complied.

Charlie created a Port key out of his left boot and with a nod they all grabbed hold.

**~\o0o/~**

They exited together in a clearing, at first Harry thought the sun was in his eyes, then his vision cleared, they were standing in a blast crater with everything bent away radiating out from the single spot of natural green grass where they were standing, however what was taking his breath was the fact that everything within a several metre radius, including the apple trees had been transformed into crystal.

"Merlin's beard!" he heard Arthur exclaim.

Harry felt dazed trying to think of the implications that his six year old little boy did this, soon he reverted to Auror mode. "I need Hermione's expertise on this."

"Calling," Ron replied showing the unquestioning support that made him Harry's right arm in the office.

Hermione showed up with a puff of apparition, holding the hand of Muffy, one of their staff of house elves. The little lady elf in the red jumper that she used as a dress curtseyed and popped back out to keep an eye on Rose and Hugo.

Hermione looked around, her forehead crinkled.

"What caused this?" she inquired pulling her wand out.

"You tell me," Harry replied.

Gram and Grandpa Weasley stared at the crystallized trees with open wonder; Ginny chewed her lip in worry. Charlie having seen it before crossed his arms and looked grim.

Ron and Harry quietly speculated while Hermione mumbled charms determining just what they were looking at.

She turned to them. "This was very powerful spell work, but unfocused; however that is not the impressive bit…"

She gestured at the spectacle.

"Everything you see is still alive."

"I beg your pardon?" Ron blurted.

She gave him the _shut up Ron_ glower and continued, "This is not just transfiguration into inorganic material...this is an entirely new life form, living crystalline plant life, I didn't know this was even possible!"

"You know what this means," Charlie stated into the stunned silence.

Ginny turned on him, her face growing red from anger. "Tell me, Charlie, what does this mean, what does it mean that my little baby boy just spontaneously created a new life form by accident, something that advanced wizards can't manage, share your wisdom, by all means."

He stepped up to his sister. "It means that Albus is the most powerful wizard I've ever even heard of, at least since Albus Dumbledore, and he is in a lot of danger if word ever gets out."

"JUST SHUT IT!" she yelled as she attacked her burly brother, he held her fists expecting the move and she collapsed against his chest sobbing.

"He's just a little boy, damn it all, just so little, he just wants to be…normal," she sobbed.

He held her, his face showing the pain he was feeling. "I know, but he's a tough little bloke, Sis, he never cried once, I've never seen anyone take that much damage outside of a dragon mauling and not a whimper, he's something special."

Hermione stood there stunned. Ron stepped up and slipped an arm around her waist, she settled into his embrace accepting his comfort. "Albus did this? Oh Harry…"

Gram Weasley took her daughter from Charlie and held her as she wept. Her determined eyes found Harry who was rubbing his temples trying to see a way clear. "What do we do, Harry, no one can know about this, not even Albus. He'll never be able to grow up with this over his head."

Harry gave Hermione a long speculative look; she nodded wiping her eyes, her quick mind understanding his intent. "I can make them powerful enough; no one will even see it from the air."

Harry turned to Charlie as she began the spell work. "I'll need this memory, so I can show Albus later when he is ready."

Charlie nodded. "Of course, just take the part where I saw the clearing up to when I apparated him to St. Mungos, I should fill in the rest naturally."

Grandpa Weasley spoke, "I'm not sure that burying this is the best course, deception always hurts in the long run, but I'll defer to your judgement, Harry."

Ginny wiped her eyes and trained them on her husband, dark with determination. "Give me your word, if James ever drives Albus to the point of violence, that he won't hurt James in his ignorance of all this. You know Jamie is going to keep pushing him, Albus can't keep taking this damage forever, even as mild mannered as he is, he will fight back someday."

Charlie nodded. "She has a point, it will serve James right, but from what I am looking at, he'll be lucky not to wind up in the same condition that Albus is in now!"

Hermione and Ron exchanged a glance. "Rose will be there, she won't let Albus go too far," Ron added.

"Who's going to prevent Rose from going too far?" Harry inquired with a sly smile.

Even with the tension, they all had a chuckle about that.

"I trust my grandson, Albus is the most sensitive and kind little boy there is, we might not trust his power at this point, but I know we can trust him," Gram Weasley stated adamantly.

Harry nodded. "Of course, but you know what this represents."

"If Albus is this powerful, then who is nature trying to counter by giving him that power," Hermione stated.

Harry nodded. "We better be ready."

"We better get Albus ready," Ron concluded.

Harry nodded, his eyes sad. "That too."

They all departed on errands except for Ginny and Harry, they shared an embrace in the frozen silence.

"I wonder…" Ginny said her lips by his ear, she seemed unable to continue.

"If this is how my mum and dad felt after word of the prophecy surfaced?" Harry finished for her.

"Yes," she replied with a sniffle.

"No way of knowing, but if they were a tenth as terrified as I am right now, then I have a whole new respect for what they did to protect me," Harry said with a weary sigh.

"We'll do what we have to do to protect him until he can protect himself, even if we have to lie to the world about the danger he represents…" Ginny stated adamantly.

He kissed her forehead then met her eyes. "I will protect him with my life, you know that."

"You better," Ginny replied with a sly smile, "or I will kill you."

They touched foreheads and had a laugh together, when things get this extreme, you either laugh or you cry.

**~\o0o/~**

_**Seven Years Later…**_

Harry stood in that same clearing. He had visited this place numerous times, one of the trees was now in the Hogwart's Arboretum, but other than that it was pretty much the same except the growth in the trees caused them to be even larger and more glorious to the eye and the glassy red fruit glimmered in the sunlight, it was a spectacular display.

He was watching a solitary man standing among the trees.

He was shorter than Harry, but he carried a potential that made up for his lack of height, his hair shown bronze in the sunlight as he scratched his beard in speculation. He was consulting instruments he had brought with him in his battered satchel, his staff crystal shining blue even in the light of the day.

He turned back to Harry, his blue eyes cold in a suspicion that Harry hated to see from someone he called friend.

He knew the Americans were more technical about Wizardry, they had several methods of determining power that they developed independently of the rest of the Wizard World.

Included in those was a two pronged system.

Power level, which was how much magic a wizard could hold and wield, a number that never changed, something the American magical community used to classify their off spring into appropriate peer groups. Then there was the Threat level, which was what a wizard was capable of doing with that power. Harry himself was checked out as a level three and half out of five power wise, but his intelligence, reflexes and knowledge made his threat number a solid five, averaged out, he was classified as a four and a half on the scale. Orion was a four power, four and a half threat, which made him a solid four.

Harry had his fingers crossed that Orion would not say what he feared he would say.

"This spell work is level five, and the wizard capable of this, even with just instinctual knowledge is a level five threat. How long have you known of his existence, Potter?" Orion Cody inquired with a growl.

"Seven years," Harry responded with a weary sigh.

Orion ran a distracted gloved hand over his face. "For seven years you've known there is a wizard in the world capable of doing something this level, and said nothing to us? You do know the meaning of the word ally, right?"

"He was not aware of his ability for most of that time; he only discovered that he might be more powerful then the norm when he received his first wand before Hogwarts last year."

Cody startled. "He was six years old when he did this?"

Harry nodded his eyes grave.

Orion's quick mind ran through the implications, his face grew pained showing he had guessed the identity. "What kind of wand, Harry?"

"Chimera scale," Harry responded warily.

Cody walked a few paces away turning his back to Harry, his shoulders tense with anger.

"So you knew of a wizard who could weave magic of a level five nature at six years old, who is able to push a Chimera scale wand, which I only thought existed in myth by the way, and you said nothing to us. You have a greater responsibility to the rest of the world, Harry, one that supersedes family, and now you have us all playing catch up!"

"I have no regrets about how I've handled this situation, Orion," Harry replied, his tone even and determined. "He has already shown signs that he is not only powerful, but he has a mind for strategy, and he seems to be gathering his lieutenants already. Last year he subdued his first Dark Lord at Hogwarts."

Orion turned to Harry, his eyes narrowing. "Who?"

"Atticus Pharrel," Harry supplied.

Cody blinked. "The Atticus Pharrel? The one that won the gold medal in the International Wizard Games fourteen years back, retired undefeated?"

"He was teaching Defence at Hogwarts, a Dark Wizard right under our noses, Albus beat him by goading him into attack while he held a freshly plucked Bastille Rose."

Orion filled in the blanks. "He used the biggest weakness of the duelling mindset against him, just like one of us would do."

He gave Harry a wink, "He is his father's son."

"Atticus was killed before we could get any information out of him, he ran afoul of the Leprechauns last year…long story…but his mind was armoured against any attempt at Legemancy, all we know is that he mentioned something about "The Dreamer" and its impending awakening to Albus."

Orion's eyes grew distant. "I've heard that name before, but I doubt it's from the same source."

Harry got a prickling sensation at the nape of his neck, the one he always got when he was on the right track. "What is the reference?"

Orion let out a sigh. "We have more ancient oral traditions from a lot more varied cultures, even though we are a younger nation, because of the older magical tradition of the native ones. There is a Pre-Merlin legend brought over by emigrants speaking of a being called Iodac.

He's thought to be the First Dark Lord, the creator of all evil in the Wizard World, and the originator of the darkest Unforgivables. However, that story is considered a creation myth, all cultures have them, there has never been proof that he actually existed, no historic documents, no artefacts from what was supposed to be a world wide empire that he ruled from a Black Tower full of dark instruments of his own device."

"Sounds like Sauron from that Muggle book," Harry said with a chuckle.

"It does, doesn't it?" Cody replied, but he sounded distracted.

"What was the "Dreamer" part referring to?" Harry ventured.

Orion seemed to return from his musings. "Iodac was so powerful that he could never be killed entirely, after wizard kind rose up as one and fought a terrible war against him and his minions, some of which he created, I think we would call them golems, they banished him to another realm in eternal sleep where he is said to be dreaming of a way to return to this world.

Legend's speak of a secret society that has been awaiting his return; once again no name has been recorded for them so it just appears to be part of the myth, a bogey story to keep the kiddies in line."

He noticed that Harry had gone silent; he looked up to see his companion had gone pale.

"What is it now?"

"Pharrel had a golem, a very good one that could pass for him, and acted independently once he was subdued," Harry replied, his voice suddenly very weary.

Orion's staff made a breaking sound as the end crushed some of the glass grass underneath. "So let's review, Harry, a six year old boy shows up with the ability to turn organic material to inorganic without losing it's life force, something he did by accident, gains one of the most powerful wands I've ever heard of, puts down a Dark Lord his first year at Hogwarts, a Dark Lord who happened to have magical knowledge that could be traced back to stories of Wizard kind's eldest nightmare, a being that Atticus Pharrel only referenced because he thought Albus was defenceless?"

Harry's shoulders slumped. "That sounds about right."

"I'm headed back to apprise the American government about this possible threat, I'll see you in a few months," Orion stated as he made a whistling sound, an eagle dove to earth and slowed down with his massive wings before landing on the glove that Orion held aloft, where he stared at Harry with his imperious yellow eyes.

"Hello Gwaihir," Harry stated with a nod. "How did he see you with all the aversion and Fidelious charms?"

"He's not an animal, Harry, he's a guardian spirit of a tribe that no longer exists, he chose me, plucked this form from my memories," Orion replied petting Gwaihir's snowy crown feathers with a gloved finger. The majestic creature did not appear impressed in the slightest with his company.

"What do you mean you'll see me in a couple of months?" Harry inquired casually.

"Because," Orion growled, his eyes cold, "You have an open position to fill at Hogwarts, and I need to close out my holdings in New Mexico for the move here to fill it, this is not a request."

Harry smiled.

Orion's eyes became suspicious. "You knew I'd have to become involved if you told me the situation, didn't you? You could have just asked."

"Where's the fun in that?" Harry replied with a sly grin.

Orion shook his head with a chuckle. "Same old Harry."

He became deadly serious. "Harry, I have to see Albus as a possible future Dark Lord if I am going to be able to guide him properly, I have to know you and your family will back me up if I see him taking a turn for the worse."

Harry nodded crossing his arms across his body in a protective gesture. "I know you will do what you have to do, and that you can make a hard choice that I can't, that's why I am bringing this to you, no one else on earth has seen more dark magic and twisted wizards than you. He's my son, Orion, but if we have to contain him, you have my word I will be there at your back."

Orion glanced around at the sparkling panorama, "If it ever comes to that, Harry, I'll need all the help you can give; his power might be beyond me already."

He paused for a moment, his eyes growing distant. "If Iodac exists, and your son being here at this time means he has found a way back into this world, we better hope that his power is not beyond Albus."

They both nodded their agreement and Orion and Gwaihir apparated out on his way to the Trans Atlantic Floo Network.

Harry looked around at his sparkling surroundings, thinking of his gentle, good hearted little boy, who could very well become the only hope the world had to withstand someone who made Voldemort look like a dabbler in the Dark Arts, since he may have very well written the books that Voldy was using.

"Iodac," Harry mused, "Not good!"

* * *

**Last Word:** I worked hard on the name for the possible big bad for this series. I know that making him the original big bad is sort of cheesy, but if the new bad guy is not scarier than the last bad guy, whats the point?

By the way it is pronounced **Eye-oh-dack** I came across it in a name data base going back centuries, not sure what it means but I have to say I like the sound of it, I hope you like it as well. Once again thank you for your support!

* * *

**UPDATE!**This is from geneology.

Surname: Joyce

Meaning: "Lord. From the medieval name Josse, which was derived from the earlier Joceus or Jodocus, Latinized forms of the Breton personal name Iodac, a diminutive of "iudh," meaning lord."

My computers dictionary: Breton-1. a native of Brittany

celtic language of Brittany, related to cornish

adj. Of or relating to brittany or its people or language

Brittany-a region and former duchy of northwestern France that forms a peninsula between the Bay of Biscay and the English Channel. French name Bretagne .

Perhaps this isn't the first time that Lord Iodac (which is kind of redundant, because Iodac means lord, so his name is Lord Lord, and you can use that, by the way) has returned. Judging by the name etymology, Lord Iodac should have been around before Great Brittain even existed.

Thank you to Hx2 for this information...I knew I wrote this name down for a reason! LOL! So from now on I am referring to him as Iodac...I think he goes a little beyond just a Dark Lord...don't cha think?

keep reading!

**Bart**


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